Technical when did the flathead stop being king?

I was watching American Graffiti last night and when Milner asks the guy "what happened to his flathead" I was thinking when would have the flathead not been king or a motor you would run when it came to racing? I am not talking official sanctioned drag racing but more or less in the lines of American Graffiti king of the area.

 

I'd say late 50's. . . when the first of the '55 Chevys started making their way into the junkyard.

 

Oh I'd say September 1954 when the new Turbofire V8 from Chevy came out. The Cad, Olds and other OHV engines were producing a lot of horse power before the chevy came out but the Chevy was the first one that fit like a glove inside the frame rails of small cars like a coupe.


This is a excerpt from an article on Evans Speed in TRJ....

"Gene Ohly was still in high school when he took a job as a machinist apprentice with Earl Evans in 1952. Evens production was in full swing and the flathead Ford was king with the performance crowd. And then the '55 Chevrolet hit the market. As told by Ohly, sales for the flathead Ford slowed to a trickle. A meager attempt was made to after overhead sales, with Evans creating patterns for Olds V8 components, but it was the 265 and then 283 Chevrolet that everyone wanted to go fast."

 

There's a really cool orange '34 Ford 5w that showed up at Bonneville (not to race) in August of 1955 that had a 265 in it. I'd day by the end of 55 there were a bunch already strutting their stuff.

I break Hot Rodding down into eras. Either it was the flathead era (pre '55) or the Chevy era ('55+).

 

When Olds introduced the valve in head V-8.

Flatties were still run and popular with a certain crowd far into the '60s. But the valve in head engines pretty much put them out of the winning circle.

I actually had a '54 merc with a Flatty that we street raced in the later '60s. It was not competitive but we were all about having fun so it didn't really matter. We still got a lot of repsect even with the small block chevy crowd and the car was a leaver so sometimes we would win anyway because we didn't go up in smoke.

 

Lastly, I always think it's cool to see a 60's hot rod with a flathead like the Andy Kassa Coupe. Seems like their were strong ties to tradition even back them.

 

I would say when the OHV's came out.

 

Never, the flathead will always be king....and yes, it's quite nice here in my own little world.

 

The day the last rusted cracked hulk is chiseled out of my cold, dead hands.

 

As soon as the OHV's came out all the companies stopped making speed equipment for the flatties. So people stopped racing them. I can't believe how huge they are now. A piece of locked up junk is worth money now where as before people couldn't give them away. Oh well...I'd say thats a good thing.

 

I figured it was pretty much in 55 but was more or less curious. I still love my flathead and want many more but it was on my mind with the movie and all.

 

There is probably room in your small little world for a lot of us.

I would drive a flatty today and never give it a second thought, but the question was not about what is popular today it was more of a when did they become obsolete.

Actually the demise of the flatty is normally given to the small block chevy. They were on there way out long before GM started producing the small block but I think the straw that broke the camels back for Ford was the small block chevy.

Someone mentioned that sweet '34 that road out to B-Ville in '55 with a 265 between the horns. They failed to mention that it belonged to a teenager. Small blocks as well as hemis and rockets and caddies etc were not unobtainium even in the very beginning. New cars got wrecked and wrecking yard foraging was common back then.

 

1955

 

Yea 55, so all of you out there with flathead stuff in your garage, send it to me as you won't need it anymore.............

 

1953 for all Ford products.

 

49, when the Olds and Cads ruled.

 

My Fathers Flathead powered Dirt Jalopy was the last Flathead to win a Feature at Hutchison KS Nationals in 1963 against overheads.

 

Never They are ' KING " and will be forever !!

 

Remember a flathead won the first U.S. Nationals 1954 so they weren,t all dead. Calvin Rice- J. E. Riley car.

 

In 55+ decade no need to wait for wrecks in junkyards.
New long blocks at the local Chev dealer were about $150.
I bought a new in crate 1958 fuel injection V8 complete mouse engine w/o intake
from local chev dealer for $185 delivered to my driveway.

But.....I still have one FH powered roadster.

 

As others have theorized, the intro of the Cadillac and Oldsmobile OHV V8s in '49 made the flathead's days numbered, but the SBC was the final nail in the coffin---it was roughly the same size and weight as a flathead, so no suspension mods were necessary, and it adapted well to early Fords.

 

???

 

Wel the OP never mentioned obsolete.
It is such a "dead end"word.
Flatties will never be obsolete

 

I think on the same lines and beaner does. he's right.



.

 

Those of us who are died in the wool "traditional" live for obsolete.

I wouldn't any more put a C6 suspension under my '53 Stude than I would jab my eye out with a pen knife. Nor would I take a jail bar pickup and throw an LS in it. it is just wrong.

Never the lessd the flathead did meat its demise when people found out that the modern engines were faster or produced more HP or whatever you want to say.

We are odd ducks in the whole scheme of things. There are literaly thousands on this board not to take into account the rest of the car world that think it is backwards to run a beam axle under an old truck, or a flathead when you could be running a new crate motor.

I am not MR Flathead for sure, I like valve in head engines as a rule. That said in the proper circumstance I would run a flatty, I have in the past when winning races was way more important to me then it is today and I will again when the time comes.

A lot of the fellas seem to think that one thing is better than something else, that is just not the case. Some of the things that we believe are better are not better at all, they are just different.

 

Aren't they still casting aftermarket flatmotor blocks and heads ? How can they be obsolete?

My feeling on the matter is that flathead-powered rods are like thoroughbreds..."right" in a way that is tough to challenge in any category except allout power.

A smallblock or nailhead will fit, and give exceptional performance, but it's not the same vibe by a long shot.

 

I grew up in Dearborn Michigan. I had lots of friends with Model "A"s,and other rods. Hardly any had Chevy engines. In 1961-64,It was pretty much a equal mix of Olds,Buick,Cad,Pontiac,Hemi,Ford "Y" blocks,and flatheads. One advantage to the over head valve popularity,was availability of modified flatheads,being replaced. Guys that were updating to OHV,would almost give away their hot flatheads. I knew several guys that took advantage of FREE flatheads and installed them in their Model "A"s,on the cheap. The most famous car in town,was a 27 T with with Lincoln,OHV. Before that it had a Hemi in it.

 

I'm with cal..................no head like a flathead!!!!!!

 

Um, the answer would be NEVER! Like Elvis, the Flathead will always be king.

 

When the Rocket was introduced and the first rock & roll song was written, ""Rocket 88""....